Europe’s travel strikes: Flight and train disruption you can expect in December and January

Our travel guide is updated as soon as a new European strike is announced.

Strikes are a regular occurrence in Europe, as employees withhold their labour to fight for better pay and conditions.

Walkouts are sometimes planned months ahead but others are announced last minute, showing that it always pays to check before you travel.

Luckily, we have gathered all of the strike information together below.

Read on to find out where and when are walkouts taking place.

If your flight or train is cancelled or delayed, you will be entitled to a new ticket or compensation. Read our guide for the full details.

Italy: Nationwide train, tram and plane strikes

Commuters in Italy’s cities can expect delays and cancellations due to a four-hour national public transport strike on 10 Januarywhich the FAISA-CONFAIL union has called.

While affected services will vary between cities, a walkout by public transport operators is likely to impact buses, trams, commuter trains, water buses and ferries, and underground metro lines. Long-distance rail service and taxis are not expected to be affected.

Similarly, train services in Florence’s metropolitan areas will be affected by delays and cancellations, and long-distance rail services could also be disrupted on 12 January.

This is due to a walkout by staff at the railway network manager Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI).

Commuters in Florence may also be affected by tram delays and cancellations on 25 January because of a 24-hour protest by staff at Gest, which operates the trams.

The advice to passengers is to check your transport will be running as scheduled before leaving home.

France: Trains and ports could be disrupted over Christmas

Several planned strikes will affect train travellers from 11 December onwards. The end date has not been fixed, so it’s likely to go on until Christmas.

Both high-speed TGV and international routes – as well as regional TER services – are likely to be impacted.

Railway workers from the country’s four major railway unions are protesting over the French state rail company SNCF’s increasing privatisation of regional railway routes.

While rail timetables are expected to show services affected by the action 48 hours in advance, it’s worth checking on the day you are planning to travel.

Read more about the travel strikes in France in December.

Portugal: Expect ‘maximum flight delays’ at airports from Christmas Eve until New Year’s Day

Passengers should expect major delays to flight schedules due to planned strike action that covers all overtime work over the festive period. This includes two 24-hour strikes from midnight on 24 December to 25 December 2024 and from midnight on 31 December until midnight on 1 January 2024.

Several unions announced the industrial action due to dissatisfaction over pay and allowances for workers at Portway, the company that manages the ground handling services at Portugal’s airports.

Scotland: Edinburgh fuel tank drivers strike called off

There were fears of widespread disruption at Edinburgh airport due to a walkout by fuel tank drivers. However this has now been called off.

A spokesperson for North Air said: “We are pleased to confirm that we have reached an agreement with Unite on pay and that the planned strike at Edinburgh airport has been called off.”

UK: Train strikes from New Year’s Eve

Expect delays on the UK’s West Coast Main Line, as Avanti West Coast train workers go on strike on 31 December and 2 January.

This is due to a dispute over pay for work on rest days, and is being organised by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT).

Further strike days are planned for every Sunday between 12 January and 25 May, which will lead to extended disruption.

Spain: Nationwide bus strikes

A nationwide bus strike that began in late November is expected to continue in Decembercausing significant disruption to local and long-distance bus services.

This strike will especially impact regional services in Murcia and Andalusia. This strike has been organised by the Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT) union to demand better working conditions for drivers and the option to retire early without financial penalty.

This article will be updated as we receive more information.

If you know of a big strike happening in your country that we have missed, we’d love to hear from you via Twitter.